Sophia Tscherne

Department	Department of English and American Studies
PhD Supervisor	Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ralph Poole
PhD Co-Supervisor	Prof. Dr. Joshua Parker
Start	WiSe 2019/20
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Topic/Title	Pay It No Mind: Stylization and Social Activism in Documentaries of the Queer Rights Movement

Abstract

The Queer Rights Movement – often historically referred to in German as the lesbian and gay movement – has a long history marked by many ups and downs. Its relationship with the media is equally complex. On the one hand, the media were used – particularly during the AIDS crisis – to portray queer people as the cause of the problem and as scapegoats, and repeatedly to spread misinformation. On the other hand, the media have also been used to raise awareness and, for example, to inform the general public about the movement and generate interest in its demands. Documentaries, in particular – which are the focus of this work – have been utilised in various ways. Documentaries fulfil specific functions. On the one hand, they are used as a neutral tool for education; on the other hand, they have also, in some cases, been employed as a political weapon to expose social problems, as was the case with the Queer Rights Movement. One such example is the first US documentary on the subject of homosexuality, *The Rejected*.

However, documentaries must under no circumstances be understood as a tool of truth or the mere imparting of knowledge. They are and remain artistic works that adopt subjective perspectives. In particular, aspects such as gender, class, skin colour, geographical differences, and physical and mental disabilities may or may not be portrayed in their full scope.